Facts come to Life: Trust my betrayal 2
by LadyCash
Summary: The betrayal has been done. But who's really guilty?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 2

By the time the hanyou had returned to Kaede's hut with Kikyo in his arms, they were all assembled, save Shippo, who remained in the village, unaware. Slowly, InuYasha placed Kikyo's still form on the prepared futon, and turned to face Kaede, ears lowered in grief. "I'm sorry, Babaa, I wasn't there…I couldn't…." He stuttered to a halt, unable to give voice the dreadful story.

The elder miko studied both her sister's body and the hanyou before her. The monk and taijiya had said little, only that something had happened and that InuYasha would be coming to explain. Eyeing the arrow still protruding from her sister's shoulder, she directed her question at the hanyou.

"What has happened here? Who fired this arrow and overcame my sister?" Kaede's one good eye could clearly see the spiritual power still contained within the projectile, and this gave rise to more questions, and also some possible answers. She was leaning forward to study said arrow closer, and to examine her sister's remains, when the hanyou spoke again.

"SHE shot her." Venom laced his words, grief shadowed his voice. Lowering his head and burying his hands in his sleeves, he crouched against the wall, unable to face anyone in his pain. He swallowed thickly, gathering his thoughts and his anger. "Point blank, without provocation. The bow was still quivering when I got there. And Kikyo….Kikyo was unarmed."

Kaede's head slewed around. "Unarmed ye say? InuYasha, my sister is no fool. Great as her powers may be, she would never travel without a weapon."

InuYasha ground his teeth. "It's true! She was unarmed. There wasn't any kind of weapon near her. She was just standing there, and Kagome SHOT her!" The last came in a near growl, and all gathered knew the hanyou was gouging his claws into his arms in his grief. The sudden drip, drip of blood from his sleeves confirmed it.

Kaede immediately knew something was terribly wrong with this situation. Again she turned her attention to her sister, and the arrow. "I wonder…" She started to reach for it, but halted at the monk's voice.

"Lady Kaede, I think you agree that something is off here." Miroku couched his words carefully, unwilling to anger his hanyou friend further. "Kagome has never shown any aggression towards Kikyo-sama, either in word or deed."

"Yeah, well, she has now! Bitch finally showed her true colors. She's just as hateful and selfish as the rest of the world. I should have killed her when we first met!" InuYasha ground this out through his teeth, but his pain was clear to see.

Before more could be said, a flurry of red hair and blazing green eyes launched itself through the door. A single bound and it was upon the hanyou. "Baka! Kagome is not hateful! She would never do something like this without good reason!"

InuYasha wrenched the kit off him with a snarl, and in fear of his reaction, Sango did the only thing she could think of to halt the situation. "Osuwari!" she shouted at the top of her lungs. It was ineffective, of course, but got the desired reaction. InuYasha, fist still clenched about Shippo's tail, flinched enough for the kit to jerk free, leaving shallow scratches on the hanyou's fist. He scampered to the safety of the taijiya's lap, where he glared ferociously at InuYasha.

Kaede spoke up then, anxious to calm the tension, and get back to more important matters. "Indeed, InuYasha, the kit speaks truth. Moreover, I do not believe that my sister is dead." This was greeted with open mouthed shock all around.

"How do you mean, Lady Kaede?" Miroku asked.

"Look ye to the arrow, monk. Can ye sense the power still within? Very unusual, wouldn't you say?" The elder miko directed their attention to said arrow, her face grim.

Miroku frowned. He could see the power, but….wait! How was that possible if Kikyo was truly dead? The power would have dissipated, its job done. Unless….. "Do you think…?" His voice was hesitant, fearful of being wrong.

Kaede's voice was grim. "I do. Let us know for sure." And she reached for the arrow.

Higurashi Shrine, modern day era

"I killed her, mama!" the young girls wail broke her mother's heart. "I thought that she….and if I….but it didn't….and I killed her!"

Kagome's mom had never seen her daughter like this before. She had returned only shortly after leaving for the feudal era, sobbing and screaming a truly nightmare tale.

Kagome's mother frowned, even as she attempted to sooth. Things were seriously wrong right now, and she desperately racked her brain to find a solution, a way to help her child and the hanyou she so clearly loved.

First things first. She had to calm the girl, and get her in a more clearheaded state of mind. Then they could figure things out properly. But from the broken bits and pieces that Kagome had shared, things were grim, indeed. Fervently she prayed InuYasha would seek Kagome out sooner rather than later. Even an angry confrontation was better than none at all, because it offered a chance to tell the whole story, and hopefully set to rights the rift between them.

"Kagome, come. Let's get you a cool shower. That will help, and then we'll sit down and talk."

Kagome, wilted and overcome by shock and grief, offered no objections. "Yes, mama."

Mrs. Higurashi gave her daughter a soothing smile, and escorted her to said shower, seeing her settled in before returning to the kitchen to once again review the situation. For Mrs. Higurashi was certain, sooner or later, InuYasha would return, and she intended to do what she could to help sort this mess out.

After a bit, Kagome returned, silent and ghostlike, at the kitchen door. Her mom guided her to a seat and pressed a cup of tea into her hand, and then sat opposite her.

After a moment spent studying her daughter, she spoke. "Give him time, dear. He will come for you."

"I don't think so, mama. Not this time." Kagome answered, tears shadowing her words.

"Time, dear. Soon enough he'll want to know the whole story. Try to be patient." The older woman urged, smoothing her daughters still damp hair. "Now, how about you tell me again what happened, and let's see if we can't make some sense of this. That's the best course of action, I think. I'm certain he will come, so try to calm down. InuYasha will react better to that than anger and tears."

Sighing, Kagome nodded and began the tale again, eager to get this over with so she could hole up in her room, alone. Her mother rightly interpreted Kagome's thoughts, but had no intention of letting her daughter continue much more of her self-flagellation. Brooding would only make things worse, she knew. Kagome needed action, to keep her mind busy, so she could move past the terrible hurt and be ready to forgive, explain, and be forgiven.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 3

"Wait, what are you doing, Babaa! What did you mean, Kikyo isn't dead?" InuYasha's voice was thick with confusion.

Kaede paused. "There remains power in this arrow, and, I believe, life in my sister. I am not sure what has transpired, but I do not believe things are anything as they seem, and the only way to find out is to ask my sister." With these words she gripped the arrow, and pulled.

The reaction was almost instantaneous. Kikyo's aura flared around her, and her dark eyes shot open. Immediately she took in the inhabitants of the hut, not failing to miss the absence of one, and turned her attention to the elderly miko before her. "Where is my reincarnation?"

Overcoming his sudden shock at her reanimation, InuYasha surged forward. "Don't worry, Kikyo. You're safe now, she won't hurt you again."

The undead-dead miko gave him a sharp glance as she rose to a sitting position. "What do you mean, InuYasha?" At that moment, a long absent soul collector entered the hut, followed by several more, bringing her much needed souls, and energy. She ignored the delicate shudders of the remaining group.

Miroku, unable to keep silent any longer, spoke up. "Kikyo-sama, can you tell us what happened? Why did Kagome shoot you?" Shock rippled through the group in a visible wave at her answer.

"Because I told her to." She would have laughed at the reaction, but the seriousness of the situation weighed heavily in the air. Again she turned to the hanyou. "Where is my reincarnation, InuYasha? Why is she not here? Did she not tell you of the possession?"

InuYasha stared at her, utterly confused. "Possession? Kikyo, Kagome shot you while you were unarmed. I got there right after. She wasn't possessed."

Kikyo sighed. "Not her, InuYasha, me. It was a trick, a trap. Naraku captured me, and though I am loathe to admit it, he overpowered me. He accomplished this by keeping my soul collectors from reaching me, rendering me too weak to fight off the spell-enhanced soul he he forced into me. "

She huffed a bitter breath. "Thus controlled, he sent me here to-"

InuYasha broke in, disgust racing in his veins. "Kill me. Keh, figures." He frowned. "But he should have known I'd realize you were possessed pretty quickly. It never would have worked. If only Kagome hadn't interfered!"

"InuYasha!" Her voice was sharp. "Kagome didn't interfere; she did what I told her to do!"

InuYasha opened his mouth to speak, but made no sound. If Kagome hadn't shot her in malice, then…

"InuYasha," Kikyo sighed again. "I wasn't sent here to kill you. Naraku knew that was a futile task. He possessed me and sent me here to deliberately meet with Kagome, to threaten you before her, and to destroy any trust between you. Tell me, has he succeeded?"

InuYasha could only stare at her in horror. Had Naraku succeeded? _I hate you! Go Home! _ Ice flowed through his veins at remembrance of his words, at the rage he had felt for Kagome.

Kikyo stood. "You sent her home did you not?" If she had been given to such signs, she would have pinched the bridge of her nose in aggravation. Before she could speak again, Miroku's voice broke the tension.

"How is it, Kikyo-sama that you managed to tell Kagome to shoot you, if you were so thoroughly possessed?" Behind him, Sango nodded her curiosity as well.

She studied the monk with a cool, but not unfriendly eye. "As I imagine you suspect, I had been fighting the control of the golem from the beginning. Because of the spell, I was unable to receive souls, and thus too weak to dispel it completely."

She continued after a breath. "But I did manage to break through long enough to make Kagome understand enough to follow my directions in helping me overcome the soul. Her arrow purified it when I myself could not. The shock of it however, along with my weakness, rendered me unconscious until it was removed."

Turning back to the hanyou, her gaze sharpened. "Tell me what you saw and what you did InuYasha. Why did you send my reincarnation home?"

"I thought you were dead! Really dead this time. I thought she did it. Damn it, she DID shoot the arrow in your shoulder!" InuYasha was beginning to see the truth, and it was horrifying.

Kikyo's voice was soft. "You didn't let her explain, did you?"

The answer from the man before her was little more than a ghost of sound. "No."

He felt sick, hot and cold, tremors running through him, making him feel as if he'd been turned inside out. Kagome! The look she had thrown him before falling into the well….shock and hurt and...yes, anger. _I hate you! Go home! _ He groaned with agony at the memory, doubling over with pain. She hadn't betrayed him. No! HE had betrayed HER! Blood dripped from his palms this time, as his fists tightened in self-loathing.

Sango could stand it no more. Surging to her feet, her voice was steel. "Go after her, InuYasha. Now!"

When she got no response, she reached out for the hanyou, grasped him by his haori, and hauled him bodily to his feet. Thus, nose to nose, she reiterated, "Fix this! Go after her, baka!"

Miroku too, stood. "I agree, InuYasha. You need to speak with Kagome and sort this out."

Said hanyou looked at them, and then at Kikyo, who remained seated. "I…she…" he stuttered. "She won't want to see me now. The things I said…" Kuso! Never had he said such hateful words to her. That he'd been overcome with shock did not lessen his guilt. He should have known, damn it! He should have trusted her enough to listen!

Kaede took the opportunity to speak up. "No doubt young Kagome thinks she has indeed killed my sister. She is most likely riddled with guilt. You must go to her and explain."

"And apologize!" Shippo yelled. "I told you she wouldn't do something like that for no reason. Baka!"

InuYasha frowned, but made no move to retaliate. The kit was right, he had a great deal to explain, but first and foremost was an apology. Probably one that he would reiterate for the rest of his life. What if she wouldn't listen? What if she never came back? The cold he felt before was nothing to the icy grip of that thought.

"Go, InuYasha." Sango said quietly. "Talk to her, grovel and beg if you have to. You can't leave things in this mess. Fix this."

"I will remain here, InuYasha. I wish to speak to both of you together. Tell her I bear her no ill will, and bring her back with you." So saying, Kikyo settled herself to wait.

Looking at his friends, the hanyou nodded. He WOULD make her see; make her understand his apology was sincere. The alternative was unthinkable. Spinning on his heel, he rushed to the Bone Eater's Well.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Dusk was settling in hard and fast when a persistent tapping came at her window. Startled, the young miko flipped over in bed so fast she nearly fell out of it. Seeing the vague outline of her hanyou friend, she sat up slowly, but could only stare with wide eyes at him through the glass. Sensing her hesitation, InuYasha once again tapped at the window, more aggressively this time.

"Kagome, open the window." His voice was firm, but not angry. She could make neither heads nor tails of why he was here. From their last encounter, she'd been sure he'd never want to see her again. His words echoed in her head, and pain pierced her heart again. Tears threatened. Seeing her confusion and distress, the hanyou fought tears of his own, but struggled not to show it. They had to talk!

"I ain't angry anymore, Kagome. Please let me in." In the fading light, his eyes glowed like twin fireflies, a warm beam only for her.

Slowly she stood and stepped to the window. Slowly her hand came up and grasped the lock. Her blue eyes searched his almost desperately. Seeing no ill will, and unable to fight the urge to see him again, she opened the window.

She was not prepared for the rushing flurry of firerat, nor the frantic, grasping arms that gathered her up against a warm, broad chest. She did not question his actions, though, but rather flung her own arms about him, holding him as desperately as he held her. Long minutes passed with no words. They simply stood, breathing each other in.

Finally finding her voice, she started to speak. "InuYasha, I'm sorry! I never meant to-"

"Hush wench. I already know all about it." His voice was gruff, tight with emotion.

"No, InuYasha, listen to me. I wasn't trying to kill her! She was-"Leaning back, her eyes searched his, begging him to believe.

"She ain't dead, Kagome." Softly he reassured her. "She's back at Kaede's and no worse for wear."

The young woman's confusion was clear. "But I shot her! I saw her fall." Again she searched his eyes, seeking, hoping. Seeing no deception, and realizing that he'd hardly lie about something like that, she slumped in relief. "How?"

Seating her on the bed, and taking a spot next to her, he urged her to tell her side of the tale first. "Why don't you tell me what happened, and then I'll tell you the rest of the story?"

Now free of at least some of the crushing guilt, Kagome was impatient for answers. Given InuYasha's initial distress however, she decided that he deserved the whole story before she did. Twisting her hands together as she remembered the horrible deception, she struggled to keep her voice even as she began.

"I'd just come through the well. I was still sorting out my pack when Kikyo showed up. But I knew almost immediately that something was wrong." Her voice was soft, her gaze distant as she spoke.

"She was so angry. Ranting about Naraku, the jewel. About you, and how it was all your fault." She studied the floor a moment. "I tried to explain to her, to calm her down. But she was so bitter."

"It took me a few minutes, but I realized that she wasn't 'right'. I asked her what was wrong with her, if Naraku had hurt her some way." Kagome glanced at InuYasha as she continued. "She seemed to be struggling with something, but then she got over it and said she was going to finish things now."

"What happened then?" The hanyou's voice was soft, encouraging. She was so far into her remembrance that he didn't think she noticed he put his arm around her. "What did you do?"

Kagome frowned. "I asked her what she meant. She said she was going to kill you, then go after Naraku herself."

"I was stupid enough to ask her why." The young woman gave a mirthless laugh. "She just sneered at me and started toward the village path. Told me to watch and see."

InuYasha's arm tightened around her. "Watch what, Kagome?" He knew they were getting to the heart of the matter now, and fought not to rush the young miko.

"I was so afraid. She was acting so weird. She hadn't been that angry since she, well, first came back." She dared a peek at the hanyou then, gauging his reaction. She needn't have feared. His face was smooth and calm, although a hint of frown did shadow his brow. Sensing no disbelief from him, she continued.

"I noticed she didn't have her bow, that she was unarmed. It didn't make any sense, and I asked her about it. She said she didn't need any weapons to kill you, that she could just walk right up to you and do it. " Kagome got quiet then, thinking of the next event. Swallowing hard, she spoke in a strained whisper. "She said she'd purify you. Do it slowly, so it hurt the most. Then, when you were hurt and helpless, she'd cut your throat, let you bleed to death like she did."

InuYasha bit back a gasp, as well as a low growl. It was a horrible thought, and he could only imagine Kagome's panic upon hearing this plan. "You must have been very scared, wench."

"At first, I was praying you'd show up and somehow fix her, calm her down. But when she said that, when she started to the village, I wanted you anywhere but there. " She turned then, grasping his hand where it rested in his lap. She clenched it with desperation. "InuYasha, I had to stop her! I couldn't let her do that to you. So I….I drew my bow on her and told her to stop."

The hanyou knew Kagome was on the verge of crying again. Reliving this horrible scene, and having to share it with him, of all people, was proving too much for her. He needed to calm her down. Slowly, he reached for her, and finding no resistance, pulled her into his lap, wrapping his arms about her. She went with no fight, only too glad that he would offer such intimacy. She cuddled close, taking full advantage.

"What happened then?" His voice was deep and strong, and rumbled pleasingly against her ear, pressed to his chest. He could well imagine, but she needed to tell her side of things.

"She laughed. A really cold, hateful laugh. She asked me what I thought I could do about it. If I really had the guts to shoot her." She sniffed, fighting back tears. "I told her I would if I had to. I didn't WANT to!" this last was added hastily, in a rushed voice. "But all I could think of was you, and keeping you safe!"

"I was begging her to stop it, telling her she didn't want to hurt you." Kagome continued. "That's when it happened."

"What happened, wench?" InuYasha gave her a gentle squeeze of encouragement.

"Her face, it….changed. Her eyes suddenly looked normal, but she suddenly seemed desperate, not angry." Her voice was reflective as she remembered. "She reached out a hand, like she needed help. It was so weird, so unlike her."

Shaking her head to clear it, the miko explained further. "She told me to shoot her, that I must. But then she doubled over and when she came up, she was angry again."

InuYasha could see it himself. Kagome standing afraid but defiant, while Kikyo raged and taunted. It must have been terrible. He shook off his thoughts as the girl in his arms spoke again.

"It was so weird that I didn't know what to think. Then she did it again. Like she came to herself, only this time she told me shooting her was the only way, that Naraku was controlling her. But before she could finish she changed again." Kagome secreted another glance at her companion. His gaze was distant and far off. May as well finish, she figured.

"I understood then, or thought I did. I tried to get her to come back, to make sure it would work, but she started back toward the village again and I knew I'd never get her stop again." She paused to take a deep breath before the next bit. "That's when I panicked. I didn't know if it was the right thing to do or not, but I had to stop her. I screamed at her, and when she turned, I let the arrow go. Then you came, and you know the rest."

Absently, the hanyou rubbed his chin across the top of her head, his mind working at a feverish pace. As the silence lengthened, and his companion became restless, he came back to himself and spoke.

"You did right, Kagome. Shooting her was the right thing to do." InuYasha's voice was calm and sure. "She was posessed, and your arrow purified the evil soul she was infected with. She's back at Kaede's, and wants to speak with you."

"With me?" Kagome's voice was little more than a squeak. The undead miko never sought her out, never wanted to have much of anything to do with her. What on earth could she want?

"Um…." Her hesitation was obvious. Kagome was never comfortable in Kikyou's prescence, they certainly weren't on the best of terms, and now was certainly no exception.

"Don't worry, wench. I'll be right there. She ain't angry with you. It'll be fine." The hanyou set up a soft rumble to accompany his words, soothing his companion instantly.

Taking a moment to steel his nerves, InuYasha eased Kagome away from him. He didn't let her go, but held her far enough away that she was forced to meet his gaze. His voice was scratchy and rough, but he did his best to show her with words and tone that he was deadly serious.

"I was wrong, Kagome. I should have listened to you right off, should have known better than to think you'd so something like that without reason. I'm sorry, wench. I am! And I'll spend the rest of my miserable life proving it to you, however you want, just….please don't leave. We…I…need you."

Kagome could do no more than gasp. InuYasha never showed such emotion as this. Insult, harass and aggravate, yes. Occasionally give a backhanded compliment or smirk at a joke, but apologize? It was so rare her brain went blank trying to fit his words with his personality.

He saw her confusion. "I mean it, wench. The fault is mine for not trusting you enough. I was hateful and cruel, and I have no excuse. I…damnit, I'm no good with words, you know that. But I didn't mean the things I said. I didn't meant them!"

Kagome gazed at him, utterly nonplussed. His ears were flat to his head, a sure sign of rage or….sorrow? He met her gaze, and in his golden eyes she saw pain, regret and fear. Fear? But it was true. He held her steadily enough, and his voice was firm and determined, but his aura was screaming fear.

"InuYasha, you had every right to be angry. You saw me shoot the woman you….love. If you had reacted any differently, I'd be worried about you being possessed." As she spoke, the young miko slowly reached up and began to gently massage the base of one rigidly flattened ear. "I won't say it didn't hurt, hearing you say those things, but after what you saw I could hardly expect less."

Inuyasha snatched his head back sharply at her words, his eyes going shocked and angry. "Damn it wench! I told you, I was wrong. I overreacted. Jumped to conclusions again. You should sit me to the seventh hell!"

Kagome sighed. Thought about reaching for his ear again, but desisted. "I would never do that, InuYasha. Really, given what you saw, there wasn't really much of any other way to react."

Her hanyou companion looked at her like she had two heads. His words, however, were soft.

"Kagome, how long have we traveled together?"

She looked back at him in confusion. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"How long, wench?" He persisted.

"Nearly a year, why?" She didn't see his point, and it showed in her answer. "What's your point, InuYasha?"

"And in all that time, how often have we been through crap like this? How often has Naraku tried to come between us, to turn us against one another? How many, wench?" His voice, combined with the soothing circles he was now rubbing on her back, kept her from finding her voice right away.

"Um….a lot?" Kagome could scarcely think, what with his declarations of 'us' and his overt touching of her person. Not that she minded, at all. But it did keep her off balance.

"Yes, a lot." InuYasha's voice held just a touch of humour, but it was gone when he continued. "And how many of those times did we see right through his trickery?"

Kagome caught her breath. "Every time. We always…"

InuYasha broke in, "Yes, every time. Every time but this. I should have known. The fault lies with me, wench. I'm the warrior, the protector. I should have seen what was happening, but I failed. I failed you and I have no excuse. All I can do is beg you to forgive me, wench. And to come back with me, and let me prove how sorry I really am."

The fear was still there, laced with desperation. He had moved to grip her upper arms, as if afraid she would flee. His ears remained flat, but he held her gaze. He let her see the pain and sorrow and self-loathing that was eating him from the inside out. What she didn't know was that he was also silently praying. 'please, please, please'.

In the face of such obvious grief, Kagome found she had no choice left. She delicately twitched her shoulders in silent request for freedom, and achieving it, leaned forward to embrace InuYasha fully.

Her own voice was tender when she spoke. "Of course I'll come back, InuYasha. I…I was so afraid you'd never come again, that you really did hate me."

"Never, wench. Never in life. I said that out of anger and confusion. It was horrible and wrong, and I will never say it again. I swear." So saying, he wrapped himself about her as tightly as he dared, and just exulted in having her back again.

They still needed to return to Kaede's and speak with Kikyou, but for now they both needed the closeness of the other more. All else could wait.


End file.
